Shipping Materials to Canada - Import and Duty charges

[David Mary]

Fed Ex Charged me duty on handle materials
UPS charged me duty on blade blanks and on handle materials. The blanks were declared as "alloy steel ingots".

On my next order of blanks I had done up, I asked my plasma cutter/heat treater in the USA to ship USPS and declare the items as "cutlery". He declared them as "steel cutlery", and I received them without having to pay duty. Victory!

On another project, I had a friend in the USA order a bunch of handle materials and kydex, and he shipped UPS, and I suggested he declare it as "Hobby materials", but on the declaration form it stated "describe the contents as accurately as possible; if we find the contents do not match the description, items will be confiscated at the discretion of customs" - or something like that. He was going by memory when he told me what it said. So of course, he included the lines "Kydex, Micarta, G10, Steel pins, etc.", and of course we got dinged for import and duty.

So the question is this: Is anyone aware of an honest, legal and ethical way that items can be declared so as to minimize or eliminate triggering the government's sticking their hand in the pie.

Thanks.

 

[Richard338]

I spent a couple of years in Montreal.
I found that I often got hit with large random fees to release items shipped through the courier services, so I stuck with USPS. I was lucky enough to have a friend in Champlain NY right across the border, and would get stuff shipped there. I've always done better with imports in person.
I guess being in Belleville you don't want to drive around the lake...

 

[12345678910]

The duty on steel is new, but we have discussed Canadian shipping several times.
Search it. Lots of good info

The key to ID a package is the Harmonized tariff code
https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/wtz/business/findHsCode?execution=e1s1

All countries track imports and exports by material for their financials.

If you have the code on the package, it goes in the automated system, makes it easier for them, they accept what you have, the package moves along.

It seems that the unprocessed steel is dutiable, so use the spefic item name, keep "steel" out of it


Stay the heck away from Fedex, ups and all of those on cross bordering.

Use USPS and Canada post.
You pay a flat $7.50 customs brokerage fee and then HST on the value of the stuff.

the couriers tack on $50-100 brokerage fees on top of the shipping cost, and tax on top of it all; no matter the package value
I payed $60 brokerage, $15 shipping, and then 15% sales tax on top of that for a $15 item.

 

[David Mary]

Thanks a lot, good info here.

1 12345678910 Your username brought me right back to a song I haven't heard since childhood, although you are missing two integers. Here they are:

 

[12345678910]

Oh ya, I'm familiar with those.

 

[kdnolin]

I have also found USPS to have the lowest charges. UPS and FedEx always have BS extra fees.

 

[JTknives]

The wife found that you could not just select cutlery. There is some box you have to select that says duty free items.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

I have also found USPS to have the lowest charges. UPS and FedEx always have BS extra fees.

I’ve found the USPS to be half the cost or less on domestic shipping than FedEx or UPS.......The finished knives I’ve made & production that I’ve shipped to Canada I’ve always marked. Camping Tool(s).. even Culinary knives. No issues.

 

[razorburn]

The duty on steel is new, but we have discussed Canadian shipping several times.
Search it. Lots of good info

The key to ID a package is the Harmonized tariff code
https://www.canadapost.ca/cpotools/apps/wtz/business/findHsCode?execution=e1s1

All countries track imports and exports by material for their financials.

If you have the code on the package, it goes in the automated system, makes it easier for them, they accept what you have, the package moves along.

It seems that the unprocessed steel is dutiable, so use the spefic item name, keep "steel" out of it


Stay the heck away from Fedex, ups and all of those on cross bordering.

Use USPS and Canada post.
You pay a flat $7.50 customs brokerage fee and then HST on the value of the stuff.

the couriers tack on $50-100 brokerage fees on top of the shipping cost, and tax on top of it all; no matter the package value
I payed $60 brokerage, $15 shipping, and then 15% sales tax on top of that for a $15 item.

I don't know about Duties on imported Steel but I do know that the Canada Customs Clearance fee is now charges $9.95 and has been for a few years now.

As for Fedex, It been a few years since I've used them at work for parts but the Clearance Fee was $10 then both GST and PST.As for my personal import,last years a shipment of Kydex,tools and related parts.I was charged only one tax and the clearance fee.

 

[Randydb]

I live near the border in Canada on the wet coast.
My observations
1)Courier's charge brokerage fees that usually amount to close to half the value of the item being shipped. You also always pay the gst/pst taxes on the item too. Sometimes packages get hung up in customs for 2-5 weeks too.
2) USPS has WAY LOWER brokerage fees for shipped items and you usually pay the gst/pst on the item if it is worth more than about $20. Packages get hung up in customs once in a while for 2-5 weeks.

3)There are shipping/receiving companies on the USA side of the border that will receive your packages and hold them until you pick them up in person. I use a company called Ship Happens who charge $3/parcel. I cross the border, pick up my package and bring it into Canada in person. Advantages are that parcel never gets hung up in customs and I never pay brokerage fees. If the item is less than $100 in value I almost never get charged taxes. Sometimes they even send me through with items that are worth around $200 without paying taxes. Best one was when my 12 yr old son bought a Lego starwars death star that was worth $350 and I was bringing in $500 worth of sinks/faucets. The border agent had a 5 minute discussion with my son about lego starwars sets (they quoted a whole bunch of numbers and editions while I zoned out) and then sent us on our way without making us pay taxes....saved almost $100!